Hockaday Senior Claudia Otten considers herself an eco conscious teen. She's vegetarian, carpools to school and, she says, "I take shorter showers, I make sure to turn off all the lights, unplug my appliances. It's kind of a hassle, sometimes but I feel like it's worth it and I feel a feel good feeling." So when prom rolled around, she was searching for ways to be eco friendly on the glamorous night. And then she heard about projectgreenprom.com - a national challenge designed by Whole Foods and Teens Turning Green. Claudia says, "The competition was a challenge to see if you could make a 3 minute video discussing how you can make your prom eco efficient."
And her video won first place. She was flown to NYC for a fashion shoot and eco prom makeover. Claudia says, "I got a hair cut from John Masters salon and products from John Masters and I got makeup from Jane Eyerdale and a year's worth of makeup from Burt's Bees."
Then she picked out a designer dress, which is made using humae silk, meaning the worms aren't harmed during the silk making process, and a cool pair of eco shoes. Claudia says, "The whole line is vegan so there's no animal products used."
And while the day of pampering was a blast, Claudia's mission is to get her peers to reconsider their formal functions. Emilie Sintobin says, "Our winter formal was in Las Colinas, and it was very out of the way, and we took a Hummer limo , ya we felt bad about that." And convince them that they don't need the expensive dresses or stretch limos to have a good time. Melissa Russell says, "I am definitely second guessing the whole limo idea because that takes a lot of gas and my Mom does have a Prius so I might carpool with some friends, and the dress I have is from a consignment store so that's being reused as well."
The cash Claudia and her friend save, will go towards a donation to the Texas Tree Fund and hopefully inspire other teens to go against the grain and go green for prom. Claudia says, "Doing my part, even if it's just a little bit, even if it's turning off the lights or carpooling, or making my prom greener is just what I can do to help."